base cards
This is your typical early 90s cheap product. There is something that I really like about these cards – middle names and nicknames. Almost every card lists a player’s middle name and often a nickname as well. Examples – Raymond (Ray) Lewis Langford and Danny Lynn Jackson. Canseco, always Mr. Cool, is just plain Jose Canseco. This box almost gave a complete set.

subsets
There are a few subsets: Diamond Kings, Rated Rookies, and All-Star cards. I cannot stand Diamond Kings. Those things are ugly. The Rated Rookies are kind of pointless. The backs are just like regular cards. The All-Star cards are kind of cool because the backs give the player’s All-Star Game stats. (Canseco went 0-for-4 in the 1990 All-Star Game.) Series 1 only has the AL All-Stars.

insert cards
The mother ship insert set for 1991 Donruss is the Elite Series. With an insertion rate of around 1:2,700 packs, it’s no surprise that I didn’t pull one. I did get a load of the Bonus Cards, including a full set of 10 from this box. Beckett doesn’t list an insertion rate for these cards. I got 14 in the box’s 36 packs. That works out to close to 1:2.5 packs.

puzzle cards
Technically this is an insert set, but it deserves special mention. Donruss was forced by Topps to include puzzles with its cards. (I can’t imagine a bunch of serious lawyers drafting an agreement about puzzles.) The puzzle in 1991 was Willie Stargell. I got a complete puzzle, but almost every single piece has residue from the wax pack. Oh well, no great loss.

Conclusion

Nobody is going to consider 1991 Donruss to be a favorite set. It’s pretty plain, but I really do like the middle names and nicknames on the back. I also like the fact that the All-Star cards aren’t just the player’s basic card with an All-Star logo splashed on the front. This box really wasn’t that bad.

One response to “Break – 1991 Donruss 1”

The coolest thing about 91 Donruss is that you have a shot at getting an Elite Series card. I remember being about 9 or 10 and pulling an Elite Cecil Fielder and seeing it was numbered to 10,000. There were a lot of boxes back then, so they’re a rare card even today. Of all the 1/1s and 1/10s and crap that I’ve pulled over the years, nothing tops my Cecil Fielder pull from 91 Donruss.

Thanks for sharing! I just picked up 12 boxes of 1996 Upper Deck Collectors Choice today. Not sure if I paid too much or not. Send me an email if you want to open a box for your site.